Two-way bilingual education (TWBE) programs are one type of dual language bilingual education programs (DLBE), that support the development of academic achievement, high levels of oral language and literacy skills in more than one language, and sociocultural competence. A distinct feature of TWBE is that the program purposefully brings together speakers of both languages of instruction in an integrated approach to bilingualism, biliteracy, and sociocultural communication skills for majority and minoritized language speakers.
While integration has been a defining feature and supported by theory, it has received relatively little attention in TWBE research (de Jong & Howard, 2009). Integration is more than placing students from diverse backgrounds in the same school or classroom. Rather, it is a process of bringing "together parts into a whole, with the important understanding that the parts play an equal role in the formation of the whole" (Brisk, 1991, p. 115). It is also perceiving differences as assets, building rapport and feeling belonged and a community. In the context of TWBE, attention to the process of integration (i.e., how the diverse elements are brought together) with attention to equal status and equity issues along language and racial/ethnic lines has?? proven central. Despite the potential of integration for language development and building positive intergroup relations, several studies have identified issues that undermine equitable learning environments. These include: equalizing the status to both named languages, ensuring equity and equal status among students, providing equal representation of Black student populations in DLBE programs, and promoting positive intergroup relationships that go beyond the academic task (e.g., Angelova, Gunawardena, & Volk, 2006; Ballinger & Lyster, 2011; García-Mateus, 2020; Muro, 2016, Palmer, 2010). Moreover, because most TWBE programs are strands within a school, the place of the program within a school is also part of the integration question. Limited research in this area studies suggest that it becomes disproportionately harder to fulfill the promise of TWBE in an English-only oriented school environment that does not support the TWBE mission (Amrein & Pena, 2000). Given these results, a legitimate question has arisen whether the linguistic, academic, and sociocultural goals of DLBE can be equitably achieved for all students through an integrated approach, such as TWBE.
We argue in this paper that it is exactly the convergence of diverse elements (along racial, ethnic, social class, linguistic, and other dimensions) in TWBE that creates a unique space where critical consciousness and transformation can take place. To establish this transformative potential of student and program/school integration, however, educators are required to construct meaningful and authentic third spaces where the multiple discourses, voices, and experiences of the different groups and stakeholders come together on an equal basis. We will illustrate how this might occur with examples of transformative practices in the classroom and at the leadership level. When educators engage in these practices, we believe that the integrative dimension of TWBE can indeed have its intended impact and live up to its potential.
